Brees Not Signing Tender Raises Question If He, Saints Are Truly Best of Class

At a time when the New Orleans Saints could be fined (perhaps in seven figures), its players and coaches suspended and even the team forfeiting draft picks, a Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times Picayune has told PFT that he does not believe the heart, soul and arm of the team, Drew Brees will sign the franchise tender offer and also would not show up at training camp.

The New Orleans fans do not need such grief.

They did not do anything to cause such disruption and embarrassment that this BountyGate scandal has imposed upon the city.

Assuming that Duncan’s prediction is accurate, what do we, the Saints fans, now do? Do we get angry at the management and ownership for bringing the city and team to these depths ? Or, do we throw epitaphs at Brees for not being sufficiently sensitive to the fans’ needs and for perhaps showing that his pride and desire for more money comes before the team and the city.

Which makes me wonder which is more shocking to us this past week—Bountygate or Brees contract fate?

Drew Brees has been the rock of New Orleans. He was there when New Orleans was recovering from Katrina. In many ways, he has helped the community rebound as much as the US taxpayers did through our federal government conduit.

Two years ago, after he took the Saints to the Super of all moments, many in the city felt our time has finally come despite the hurricanes, recessions, corruptions, incompetencies and other factors that have made the Queen of the South the court jester.

Brees has always been the one who has put the team first and for that reason, the city has fallen madly in love with him.

Perhaps the Saints have been banking on Brees not tarnishing his humble superman image of someone committed to the city and team under any and all circumstances. Perhaps the Saints felt the New Orleans fans would feel the heat, get mad and encourage Brees to accept the sixteen million dollars this year, a figure that most of us would not make in hundreds of lifetimes. Perhaps the Saints strategized that this anger would turn on their hero, forcing him to come to the settlement table and compromise.

For at least this fan, I implore Brees and the New Orleans Saints ownership and management to do whatever they can do to put this family feud behind them and to prove that when the chips are really down (as they certainly are now after this past week) that the team and its leader would show us all that it is what it claims to be—“Best of Class”.

Those words are how Tom Benson described the Saints were when he announced the Superdome naming deal last year with its “best in class” partner, Mercedes Benz. The manufacturer told us they chose the Superdome and the Saints because the two were truly the best in class.

It is time that Brees and the team show just how much class they both possess as the city has been knocked onto its knees this past week .

The fans loyalty to the Saints has no boundary.

Now it is time for the team and its savior, Drew Brees to show their commitments to the city is indeed bountiful.